March 21 - Tahiti Half Day Tour

You wouldn’t believe the looks Marg gets when she orders a hamburger, here in the South Pacific islands. Marg will order the hamburger with no bun, because of her Gluten sensitivity. First the waitress appears to be confused as if she didn’t hear properly. So, they’ll repeat the order as a question. When Marg confirms she does not want a bun, they try to convince her that the bun is indeed part of the meal. After Marg again askes for no bun, they get the most stunned look on their face, as if they are being asked for the impossible. Finally, when the hamburger arrives, they again ask Marg if that is what she wanted, thinking there must have been a terrible mistake. They then retreat to the kitchen, where I am sure they tell the cooks about the crazy North American lady and her bunless hamburger.

This afternoon we went on an excursion around the island of Tahiti. This was one of the better trips we have taken, mainly because of the guide.  He was friendly and extremely informative. He knowledge of local customs and myths, Tahitian plants and trees, and the Tahitian environment were outstanding.

Our first stop was Arahurahu Marae, which was a ceremonial place of worship where chiefs were cremated, and their ashes scattered in grounds surrounding the alter. This is Tahiti's best example of the ancient Polynesian temples and meeting places called Marae. It has been fully restored and properly maintained like a museum. It is now used for the reenactment of old Polynesian ceremonies during the July Heiva Nui celebrations.

Next, we stopped at a public beach, where we got to see the surfers. The guide explained that surfing is one of the most popular sports in Tahiti. He also told us that surfing will be included in the Paris Olympics next year and the competition will be held in Tahiti.

The beach was black volcanic sand. This is because the area is feed by a fresh water stream and coral can’t survive in fresh water. White sandy beaches in this area is made up of mostly crushed coral from the sea.

Next up were the Water Gardens of Vaipahi. The gardens are steeped in local mythology. It seems that the bodies of dead warriors were washed in the waters of the this garden in preparation for journey to meet their gods. Vaipahi Gardens displays a wonderful selection of endemic plants and trees.

After going around the southern tip of the big island, we came to Maraa Grotto. The grotto is fed by a high narrow waterfall. Our guide told us that the stream at the bottom of the fall is prone to flashing flooding and that people who live downstream, do so at their own risk because there is no insurance available.

Our next stop was the Arahoho Blowhole. A lava tube is created by liquid lava flowing under cold and hard lava, producing a channel. When waves crash against the rocks and enter this channel, the result is a powerful sea water geyser that showers on lookers. Unfortunately, today it was not very powerful.

Our last stop was Point Venus. Located in the north on the edge of Matavai Bay, it is a special area where successive landings of European navigators landed. James Cook named it after the planet in commemoration of the transit of Venus that was observed during one of his scientific voyages to Tahiti. There is also a special memorial to the sailors of the HMS Bounty, who returned to Tahiti to live after their munity.

All in all, it was a wonderful way to spend the day and we would highly recommend it. It is called the Tahiti Half Circle Island Tour by Bus and we booked it thru Viator.com

We had the guide drop us off at the Blue Banana restaurant, where we a nice sunset supper.